THIS refers to Mehboob Alam’s letter ‘Rise of Muslim Brotherhood’ (July 5) in which he has made claims about the Muslim Brotherhood being the Taliban in disguise.

His opinion is based on his meetings with Brotherhood sympathisers while living in an Arab country.

Such categorical remarks based on sympathisers’ dealings cannot be taken seriously.

After its formation by Hassan al-Banna in 1949, the Muslim Brotherhood survived, passing through several decades of arrests, tortures and executions successively by all regimes, including those of Hosni Mubarak.

The follies of Egypts’ successive dictatorial regimes cannot be apportioned to the Muslim Brotherhood or for that matter to the Egyptian people.

Now the people have spoken who had suffered at the hands of the brutalities by Mubarak and his coteries. The people who assembled at Tahrir Square and have voted for Mohamed Morsi cannot be cowed down by such unsubstantiated remarks.

If one has read or heard Morsi’s inaugural address to the nation, one can well understand his vision and his programme.

Let us see and watch him by the standard he has set for himself and pray that he succeeds as Egypt is much closer to Pakistan in comparison to many Arab countries.

S. F. AHMAD Leicester, UK

Long struggle MR Alam has given credit for Egypt’s democratic movement to the Tunisians. This is neglecting half a century’s struggle of the Egyptian people. The blood of the Muslim Brotherhood nurturing democratic movements with enormous sacrifices in Tahrir Square recently could never be attributed to others.

AHSAN ALI SYED Lahore